Eat like an Italian: Two budget-friendly recipes to hit your five veg a day

Drawing on her dual Australian-Italian heritage, Melanie Lionello, the nutritionist and cook behind popular social media account From My Little Kitchen, grew up eating in the rustic, zero-waste style of cucina povera.

“The influence of my nonna’s cooking continues to shape not only the way I cook food, but how I think about ingredients,” Lionello writes in the introduction to her debut cookbook, Easy Italian Dinners from My Little Kitchen.

As a university lecturer and health professional, her focus isn’t on a dietary “magic bullet”, but on small, meaningful changes to help people reach their five daily vegetable serves.

“It can be as simple as increasing your vegetable intake throughout the day and including fibre-dense ingredients – both of which are a natural part of the cucina povera-style Italian cooking.”

Here, Lionello shares two vegie-packed classics that embody this philosophy: a comforting (and budget-friendly) Tuscan tomato and bread soup, and a hearty pasta bake with roasted pumpkin and ricotta.

Tuscan tomato and bread soup

This is one of my most highly requested recipes. I first fell in love with it when I was really little and we lived with my nonni. My cousins and I still talk about it, as it’s so nostalgic. I’m a huge fan of using rock-hard stale bread, or bread that I’ve further dried out in the oven. The best kind to use is pane di casa, sourdough or any sturdy/hard style of bread or bread roll.

Once soaked in the soup, the bread gets an al dente texture, which I find delicious – but traditionally, the bread is meant to soften completely. Try it and see what you prefer. Ultimately, it’s delicious either way.

INGREDIENTS

• 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, very finely diced
• 2 × 400g cans whole tomatoes
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• 8 thick slices of stale bread, cut into 3cm square chunks
• 40g grated parmesan, to serve (optional)
• chilli (either fresh or flakes), to serve (optional)

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is translucent. If the onion or garlic begin to brown, reduce the heat – you don’t want to fry them, just soften them.
3. Add the tomatoes to a bowl and squish each tomato in your hand to break them up roughly. Repeat until all the tomatoes are squashed, then add them to the saucepan along with the stock.
4. Bring to a simmer, then place a lid on the saucepan and cook for 10–15 minutes until everything is cooked and tender. You can cook this for as long as you like, really – I usually leave it to cook on low for a while longer, while I finish work or other dinner preparation.
5. When you’re almost ready to eat, place the bread in the pan and stir it through. Cook for another 5 minutes until the soup has thickened. Add the grated parmesan and stir again. You can do this for longer if you prefer a thicker, denser soup but I prefer the texture “just cooked”.
6. Serve in bowls sprinkled with some extra grated parmesan, if desired. I also love adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little fresh chilli. Season to taste.

Serves 4

Note: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day, or freeze the soup, without the bread, for up to 3 months.

Pasta bake with roasted pumpkin and ricotta

This creamy roasted pumpkin and ricotta pasta bake will have everybody wanting a second helping. I love making this during the cooler months when pumpkin is in season. The ricotta, roasted pumpkin and stock come together into a creamy, but not heavy, sauce (there’s no cream), which coats and fills the rigatoni so each mouthful is packed with flavour.

I use kent pumpkin when I can get it – although any will do. I tend to make a bigger batch so we’ve got some leftovers for lunch the next day.

INGREDIENTS

• 800g pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 400g penne (or any other preferred tube pasta)
• 800g ricotta
• 300ml chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 250g (2 cups) grated mozzarella

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
2. Place the pumpkin on a large baking tray, roughly in a single layer, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and oregano. Toss to coat evenly, then roast for 25-30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and starting to caramelise. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
3. While the pumpkin is roasting, cook the penne in a large pot of salted boiling water for 4 minutes less than the packet instructions suggest. Drain the pasta and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, gently mash the roasted pumpkin, leaving some chunks for texture. Add the ricotta and stir it through, then gradually add the stock, stirring to form a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Toss the cooked penne through the pumpkin and ricotta mixture until evenly coated, then transfer to a large baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Serves 4

Note: This will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. The pasta bake will be softer once thawed.

This is an edited extract from Easy Italian Dinners from My Little Kitchen by Melanie Lionello. Photography by Mark Roper. Published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.